


An Elopement to Wakanda

by LadyRimouski



Series: Forging Fate [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aimless fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Scientist!Reader, Wakanda, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-04-28 15:58:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14452734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRimouski/pseuds/LadyRimouski
Summary: After the rush of your chaotic introduction, you and Steve make plans to start your new life, together, starting with getting married.A sequel to Unexpected Fire





	1. Elucidation

With the crisis resolved and some of the secrecy off, it meant that you could finally let your family in on what had happened, barring the specifics of some of the details, of course. But Steve created a huge change in your life. A new romance and a major life overhaul all in one fell swoop. It was a lot to drop on someone. It had been a lot to experience.

But, you were looking forward to sharing with your family. You were excited about the wedding, and giddy in love, and you couldn't wait for them to meet Steve. But first: breaking the news.

You sent a text first, to arrange a good time to call them on the west coast, and to hint that it might be a longer conversation. First, you called your sister, your childhood confidante and best friend. After your general greetings and pleasantries, you got down to business.

“I've met someone.”

“Someone, like a _special_ someone?”

“Yeah. Yes.”

“Well, that's great.”

“And it's gotten pretty serious, pretty fast.”

“Really? Who's the guy?”

“His name is Steve. He's very sweet, and very kind, and I never thought I'd find someone like him.”

“I'm sure he's great, I'd like hear more about him.”

“I’d like you to meet him. Maybe sometime next week, if that works for you.”

“Wow. Next week? That is fast. How'd you say you guys met again?”

“I didn't say. It was through work, actually.”

“Hmmm,” she mused, thinking about where you worked nowadays. “Anybody I would know?”

“Well... actually, it's Steve Rogers.”

“Shit, ____. How'd you bag Captain America?”

You flustered a little at the amazement in her voice. “It's a long story. I'll tell you the whole thing sometime soon. But for some reason he likes me, and we've come to love each other.”

“Of course he does. You're awesome and adorable. But man... Captain America. That's the big leagues.”

“I am very aware of that. I'm not sure how it's all gonna work, but we'll figure it out.”

“I'm sure you will. You've gotta call Mum. She's gonna want to hear it from you.”

“That's my next move. Can you free up some time for a visit sometime next week?”

“For you, I'll make time.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you, too”

You took a deep breath and then dialled the next number.

“Hi, Mum.”

She caught you up on all the family gossip, and how her week was going, and then when the initial flurry of the conversation cooled down, she remembered the text you had sent her.

“But how are things with you? You sounded like you've got some big news.”

You eased in to the topic: sharing first about work, and about maybe relocating the lab to the Avengers Facility.

“Good for you, ____. I'm so proud of your work. Don't let those capes over-awe you. What you're doing is just as important for the world as the flashy, combat stuff.”

“Thanks, Mum, I think I'm holding my own. Actually, I've gotten quite close to one of them… romantically.”

“Not Stark?” she asked quickly.

“No, not Tony,” you reassured her. Not that Tony was that bad, but you could see how your mother's picture of him, gleaned from tabloid reports of his excesses, and your own occasional rants about his working style when you had just started collaborating, didn't exactly paint the most flattering image.

“Good,” she said with relief. “But who, then?”

“It's Steve Rogers.”

“Oh,” she paused, processing. “So, not one of the scientists.” Another pause. “A fighter. He's got quite a history, that one. Are you sure that's what you want?”

“He's not like that. Truly. He's kind and sweet, and the most thoughtful man I've ever met. And he loves me.”

“I'm sure he does, dear. But he's an Avenger. That comes with a certain lifestyle. Are you sure you can handle that?”

“We can. Look, you're just going to have to meet him, then you'll understand.”

“I trust your judgement., but love can turn the most sober of minds. Just promise me that you'll try to think objectively about all this, and how it's actually going to work. Love is easy at the start, but real life catches up to you quickly.”

You paused for a moment, in thought. Your mother was a wise person, who usually saw through to the heart of a situation. That was part of why you wanted her to meet Steve so badly.

“I promise.”

She seemed relieved, and you continued your chat as you shared more about how you had met, and what you'd come to know of Steve the person, not the public face.

After you had made your goodbyes, and hung up the phone, you thought for a minute about all she'd said. You'd promised you would do your due diligence, and do some research on the matter before jumping in. Inspiration struck and you pulled up your email, knowing exactly who you should talk to about this kind of stuff. You shot off an email to Maria Hill:

_Do you have the contact details for Jane Foster?_

* * *

A couple of days later you were sitting in your office after-hours, when it was quiet, and almost everyone else had gone home. You took a steadying breath and pulled up the video-conferencing software. A brunette woman appeared on the screen; stacks of papers littered the foreground, along with a large coffee mug.

“Hello? ____?” she asked.

“Yes, hello Jane. Thanks for agreeing to speak with me. Did Maria tell you why?”

“Only that it was Avengers related, but not about work. And that she'd consider it a personal favour if I'd agree to talk to you with an open mind.”

You made a mental note that you owed Maria one. “I'm sure you've talked more than you want to about your break-up with Thor, but I'm about to start a relationship with an Avenger myself, Steve actually, and I was hoping to get some advice from you about what it was like and if you would do anything differently, or not. It's just that we're both scientists, and they're both Avengers, and I thought that the strains on your relationship are probably going to pop-up in mine, and I just wanted to hear a bit about your experience before things got too far along, so I'd know what to watch out for.”

You wound down your run-on sentence as you ran out of air. You hadn’t meant to crowd her, but in your aim of not pressuring her into an answer, you'd ended up adding so many caveats that it was a much longer introductory question than you had intended.

She sighed, and looked at her desk for a moment, then squared her shoulders and looked back up at you. “No, I suppose I don’t mind sharing. It’s not too painful to talk about, especially for someone who could actually use the information.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s fine. I avoided tabloids for a while, because of the spectacle of it all, but we science ladies need to stick together.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Ultimately, Thor and I just wanted very different things. It ended somewhat amicably, and I still have positive ties to the Avengers, but what Thor and I had going just wasn’t enough for me, in the end.”

You nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“At the start, we had such a spark. Real chemistry, you know? It didn’t hurt that he’s built like the god that he is. Plus, he had that exotic charisma going for him.”

Boy, if that didn’t sound familiar.

“I met him when he was at his lowest point, and I was by his side as he really grew through that. I thought we really had something. But then he went off back home and I didn’t hear from him for ages. That thing with the Aether,” and you watched her shiver slightly in remembrance, “threw us together again for a while, but in the end I finally realized that he meant more to me than I meant to him. I was always going to be playing second fiddle to his destiny. He found a way back to Earth to fight the Chitauri, but didn’t have the decency to come and see me in person, shuttling me off somewhere he decided I would be safe, without even letting it be my decision. He did the same thing after the Ultron debacle, heading off to Asgard to investigate his visions. Not only did he not involve me in his decision making, he didn’t even let me know he was going. I had to piece together what happened after the fact.

“Eventually I realized that that was the way things were always going to be. His destiny, and his people were always going to come first, and me a distant second. It’s not so much that I begrudged him that. He was, after all, born to be king. But, I realized that, even if he didn’t recognize it himself, he was just playing house with me. I thought that we were building a life together, but he was just passing time with me. The good times were very good. But when he was gone, it was like I stopped existing to him.”

She paused to take a breath and calm herself before continuing. “I suppose that in the end, he couldn’t help his upbringing. My visit to Asgard taught me that Asgardians are chronically racist. I know it can be hard to confront family, but he didn’t fight for me there. I always knew that they lived longer than us, that I would only ever be a short part of his lifespan, but I thought that he would value those years more because they were finite. Ultimately, it just wasn’t enough for me. I had to let him go and move on. He was never going to be able to give me what I needed, and I couldn’t keep asking him for something that he couldn’t do. I still love him, but I can’t be with him.

“I don’t know if that helps.”

“No, it does. Thank you so much for opening up like that. I barely know you, you don’t owe me anything.”

“Like I said, we science gals have got to stick together. I obviously don’t know Steve as well as I know Thor, but I can’t really see him being the type to be careless about including you in his plans.”

“No, he doesn’t strike me as the fast and loose type, either. But a lot of the stuff you said about destiny always coming before relationship hits some buttons. Steve’s told me from his own mouth his history of never backing down from a fight, and doing what he sees as the right thing, and then dealing with the consequences afterwards. If there's something big coming on the horizon, I don't think he'd hesitate in rushing towards it. He has a track record of rushing into trouble.”

“That's true. Although part of where Thor and I broke down was that his loyalties always seemed divided between two worlds. It's not like Steve has commitments to another realm, but when I first met him, he still seemed set in the past. Like he wasn't ready to commit to living in the future, as if he shouldn't get attached.”

“I think he's grown beyond that now. When I talk to his teammates, and see how he acts around them, I think he's genuinely invested in them. He treats them like family, and I can see that they trust him completely. I think I can trust him the same way.”

Jane nodded, having said her piece. “Good luck. Think hard about what you're getting into. It will not be easy. But, the last thing I'll say to you would be: if I could do it all over again, I still would.”

“Thank you, Jane. You have no idea how helpful you have been.”

She smiled somberly at you. “Good-night.”

“Bye.”

As the screen went black you sat in darkness for a moment, thinking it all over. So many of the things that Jane had said hit home. You didn't think Steve had the same kind of pressures in his life as Thor did, tearing him between two realms, but you did think that if it came between choosing you, or saving the world, he wouldn't hesitate. And you wouldn't want him to. But, given the frequency that the world needed saving, that could make for a very lonely life. Could you live alone again, with Steve just dropping in and out? _Yes._ You didn't think you were capable of turning him away, despite that. He’d spoiled you for other men anyway. No one else could ever come close to what he was to you now. You’d rather have a little Steve, than all of someone else.

You closed down your station and rose to head home. You felt at peace. Despite facing some hard truths, you felt more certain of what you were heading towards than ever. You had some things to discuss with Steve, and you could feel that there would be some difficult answers, but it felt more real now. You thought you had shaken some of the love haze that your mother had accused you of being under. You knew you were now choosing to work towards a life with him with both eyes open.


	2. Preparations

Steve Rogers slipped out of the garage at the Avengers Facility on his one quiet afternoon, and headed for the highway, carefully observing the speed limit, and all other traffic laws, as he always did unless required for the mission. There were faster transportation options to get where he was going, but he liked the clarity of thought that being out on the open road offered. He had a lot to think about. His life had been turned upside-down over the past month. He liked its new configuration, but it was still a lot to process.

He still barely knew his fiancée. He had come to know her as kind and smart, considerate of those around her, conscientious about her role in the world, and anxious to improve it. He supposed he knew her about as well the other G.I.s had when they took their war brides home after the war. When he was in a self-flagellating mood, in his early days out of the ice, he had hung out at the VA, listening to stories of what things had been like after the war ended. Of the elation and chaos at the end. Many of them married their English sweethearts and brought them back home to rebuild the nation. He had almost done the same, he thought to himself, remembering Peggy, their longing glances and lost opportunities. Peggy really had been special. He supposed _____ was a lot like her: strong and determined, sure of her place in the world and ready to make a difference. He shook his head. He shouldn't think that way. They were their own people. Maybe he did have a type, but they weren't interchangeable. Peggy had been his first love, but _____ was his future.

He had seen ______ off at the airport a couple of days previous. She had left for Wakanda early, to handle some of the specifics for the wedding, do some collaboration with some Wakandan scientists, and subtly deliver a pre-treatment to Bucky, to protect his enhanced metabolism from falling prey to the same substance that had started this whole thing for Steve. He hadn't been sure that separating to different continents so close to the wedding would be the best idea, but as the days of their “no touching” rule went on, they had found it harder and harder to keep their hands off each other, so maybe it had been for the best anyway, as tough as it had been to see her go.

They had made the most of their time together. He was shocked at the depth of his own emotion. Once they had both decided that they were committed to being together, things had progressed so quickly. He'd met her family, during a hastily planned visit that _____ had arranged for them. Steve had been a bit apprehensive about the choice of venue for their first meeting. _____ had suggesting renting out a bowling alley for their evening of introductions. He hadn't been sure about that, but she'd convinced him in the end and soothed some of his anxieties.

“Bowling's a fun, low-key activity. It'll break the ice, and give everyone something to focus on other than just interrogating each other. I know my family will see your true personality in the way you handle yourself and the way you treat others, just like I did. And just like me they won't be able to help falling in love with you.”

He remembered the affectionate smile she had directed towards him, before he had voiced his main anxiety. “Bowling's pretty physical and competitive; I don't want to scare them off.” He had considered holding back a little, missing a few pins on purpose, but it had felt disingenuous, and a bad foot to start off on.

“Don't worry, love, nobody's going to be expecting you to bowl anything other than a perfect score. They've seen the news footage, they've seen a bit of what you can do. You're strong, but you don't throw your weight around. And it'll be a gentle introduction to the super-soldier side of you, too.”

She understood him so well with just a look. He’d had women infatuated with him since the serum, but none of it felt real. They hadn't really seen _him_. But _____ was different. With just a look, he felt like she could hear his inner thoughts. Like she heard and understood what he was really feeling. There were a few people in his life who could see through to the core of him. Sam was one of them. Nat was another, now. But not since Peggy had he met someone interested in him that way, who also saw the man under the persona.

She had been right; the bowling party had been the perfect informal introduction. Steve had invited Sam and _____ had invited Helen, to round out their little gathering.

Introductions had gone okay. _____ had broken the news ahead of time, so when she introduced him to her mother as her fiancé, he was met with an appraising look, and not surprise. Her sister had taken a breezy approach to the whole thing, and spent half the evening outrageously flirting back and forth with Sam.

They'd all been a little nervous at first, but _____ was right, bowling had ended up being a good activity to break the ice. He'd enjoyed seeing the friendly rivalry that _____ and her sister had going on, teasing each other over the scores and crowing over little victories. It was nice seeing a happy family. It reminded him of the Barnes family. Back when his own home had seemed so quiet and subdued, Bucky and his sisters were always happy to welcome him into the chaos of their own household. And now he was being welcomed again into another family unit. It felt good.

Steve's train of thought was broken as he spotted the turn-off for the National Air and Space Museum. He had an appointment with one of the curators from the archives. It had been a few years since they had last met. After he came out of the ice, there had been a rush of interest from historians wanting to hear first-hand of Captain America's experiences during the war. SHIELD had filtered them down to just a few key interviews. He could still remember exactly what Fury had to say on the matter.

“There's plenty of WWII veterans still around. They've had seventy years to ask all the questions they need to from them. They just want you now, because you're still new and shiny, fresh out of the box. But, I've got other plans for you at the moment.”

Steve had been secretly relieved. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to do his part for preserving American cultural heritage, and with his enhanced memory, he did have quite a bit to add. It was just that so much of it had still been so fresh to him. A lot of those memories had been painful... some from rehashing the trauma of war, but even the happy memories were bittersweet, reminders of the future he had lost and could never regain. In the end, he had given three initial interviews, leaving each one emotionally exhausted. He had still made a point to return every few years to the Air and Space Museum. Since the woman he had spoken to there managed the Captain America historical archives, he felt an internal obligation to keep up the relationship, and she had been so very kind and attentive that he didn't really mind it, despite his discomfort at contributing to an exhibit singing his own praises.

“Steve, it's so good to see you again,” she greeted him warmly, meeting him at the reception desk.

“Hello Roberta, how are you?”

“Fine, fine,” she answered, leading him through the doors behind the desk, and through back corridors to her office.

After general greetings and pleasantries, Roberta got down to business.

“So, how can I help Steve Rogers today?” she asked.

“Well, actually, I was hoping you could pull up a few artifacts from the collection for me...”

* * *

She had led him deep into the behind-the-scenes archives, closely packed and meticulously labelled shelving surrounded them.

“Here they are,” she said, handing over a small labelled box.

He took it from her hands, and opened it gingerly. Inside it sat two gold rings, one large one small. His parent's wedding set.

After his father died, his mother had worn his ring around her neck, and her own on her finger. There had been many a time in the 30's when the money had run out and the gold in those rings would have gone a long way to keeping bellies full. But his mother could never bring herself to part with them. When her own time had come, Steve had hung on to them, too. Not so much in anticipation of his own marriage someday - between his health, his stature, and his terminal awkwardness around women, he hadn't held out much hope on that point - but because they were the last two pieces he had of his parents.

When he had gone off to war, he had left them for safekeeping with Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, rather than purchasing a safety deposit box. When he woke up in the 21st century, he had initially assumed they were lost to time, until an itemised list of artifacts had been delivered to him from the Smithsonian. When he had been presumed to have died a war hero, Bucky's parents had donated them, as being one of the few physical mementoes around of Steve Rogers, the person, not the soldier.

“Would it be alright if I took these with me? I could cover their cost, or could I have them on long term loan?” he asked Roberta.

“They're yours.” she stated firmly. “We're the ones who were just borrowing them. All I need to do is record their catalogue numbers and mark down that they were returned to you on today's date, and they're in your possession again, free and clear.”

“Thank you,” he said, relieved.

“You're looking good these days. Life with the Avengers is treating you well?”

He could tell from the way Roberta was looking at him that she had guessed why he wanted these in particular back. There would only be two reasons for him to ask for the rings. He was either so homesick that he wanted to physically hold some connection to his past, or he was in love and planning to use them again for their intended purpose. He wasn't surprised his demeanor had given it away.

“Quite well, actually. In fact, I plan to make a big public announcement soon. We're keeping it quiet for the moment, so your discretion on the subject is greatly appreciated.”

“Of course. Of course,” she reassured him emphatically. “My lips are sealed. It's been an honour to have known you these last few years. I've seen you adapt to the post-modern era, and I've seen it spit you back out again. I'm glad you've found some happiness.”

He didn't know about all that, but he was happy. Happier than he'd been in a long time. Possibly happier than he'd ever been. He couldn't wait to get back to ____. Couldn't wait to start their life together. A new start to both their lives. Maybe he'd call her when he got back to the Compound. It wasn't quite the same as being with her, but he missed speaking with her, sharing with her, learning about how she saw the world.

He broke his reverie, realising that he'd gone quiet for a bit too long. Roberta was just waiting for him to come out of it, smiling knowingly.

They made their goodbyes: Steve promising to return for a longer discussion of Hydra tactics during the war, Roberta encouraging him to drop by whenever _he_ wanted to. Then he hopped back on his bike for the ride back to the compound, the rings tucked securely in a zippered inside pocket, right over his heart.


	3. Arrival

As your plane began preparations for landing, you thought about your plans for your time in Wakanda. You were looking forward to seeing your friend Naledi again. You'd originally met in rural Cameroon, doing relief work, helping with local wells that had become contaminated from nearby mining activity. You'd been fast friends, and when you ended up studying at nearby universities for grad school, that had cemented into a lifelong friendship. When Wakanda had started opening up to outside influences, you had been one of the first scientists invited to collaborate at their top learning institution, in part because of your work on heavy metals and ecosystem impacts, and in part because Naledi trusted you, and vouched for you to the committee.

You’d called ahead, and let her know you were coming, and a bit about why. You flew in on a commercial flight, to an airport just outside the barrier, and she insisted on coming to pick you up personally in her lightflyer. When you exited the plane onto the tarmack, the scent of Africa hit you: dry grass baking in the sun, and indigenous pollen, and the minerals in the earth. For a moment, you were awash in memories and nostalgia.

At arrivals, you were greeted with Naledi with a huge hug. You collected your luggage, and she guided you to where she had left her lightfligher ready to take you the rest of the way in to the City. You soared up, passing through the barrier with a shimmer. On the other side, the African plain spread before you, the Wakandan penchant for aerial travel meant it was untouched by highways or other industrial routes, just the soft, organic tracks left by herdsmen or wildlife. You settled in for the short flight. You hadn't spent much time in the capitol, the Golden City. But, since Naledi had set up her lab - having received the royal commission to oversee Wakanda's ecosystem integrity - she had relocated there, and so you were going to set up base there for the visit. You had plans to visit her lab for two weeks, she was going to assist with a particularly tricky remediation question you couldn't answer with the resources and technology available to you in the US, and she was keen for your insight and suggestions on the new program she had implemented across Wakanda. She insisted you stay with her, and you were looking forward to productive days in the lab and field, followed by evenings together full of fun and gossip.

* * *

The next morning, after a long night in of catching up, you joined her on her way in to work.

“I'll give you the grand tour, and then we'll get you settled in to a bit of lab you can use while you're here. We're a bit tight on space, but we've got plenty of resources, so just let me know if there's anything else you need.”

“Thank you, Naledi. You're more than generous. I'd love to see how you've used your space before I start meeting with the architects for my new lab.”

“We had some growing pains when we first moved in, but we've pretty much figured out what works and what doesn't now. I'll give you some more specific notes sometime while you're here.”

“That would be perfect, thank you.”

* * *

After your tour, during which you visited the lush research greenhouses, the immaculate clean-room labs, and the huge garage-like staging area, you would up with Naledi in her central office space. You’d say office space, but technology ran so different in Wakanda. Rather than rows of monitors showing displays, her workspace centered around a large table, complete with rapidly changing 3D displays of graphs, and landscapes. Since Wakandans grew up almost from birth equipped with kimoyo beads, they were used to interacting kinetically with their technology, as a part of their environment, rather than expecting to have to go to a console to access it.

You were engrossed with an issue of water flow, helping Naledi plan the best way to seamlessly integrate a new border tribe settlement into the existing landscape and ecosystem, when you were interrupted by a loud, tall young woman.

“Look what I brought you, Naledi,” she said, spilling out an armful of Wakandan tech over the central table, scattering our planning graphs and maps into dissolving motes of brightness.

Naledi picked up one slender rod; it looked like a surveyor's marker, but finely wrought with subtle electronic markings and what were probably highly sophisticated sensors. “Thank you, Shuri. These will be very helpful. I'll put them to use right away.”

“Yes, but they don't just do the sensing that you asked me to do. If you activate it like so,” and she turned a bead on her wrist, bringing up a user-display, “it sends out sampling tendrils, up to half kilometer long, so you can take mineral samples back to the centre rod, where it'll do an in situ mass spec, and send you back the data.”

You were impressed, but not exactly surprised. That sort of data collection would take four people and six different pieces of equipment in America. You were a little envious of Wakandan tech; you'd long ago come to terms with the fact that your own work just happened slower than it did here. Better technology just meant moving on to the next problem question sooner.

“That's wonderful Shuri. You always go above and beyond...” Naledi spoke up again, “When we've caught your interest, that is. I wasn't expecting these for another month. Are you sure you're just dropping these off, or did you really want to check up on your White Wolf's people?”

Shuri gave Naledi a saucy grin, “I can do both.”

She turned to you and stuck out her hand, “Hi, I'm Shuri.”

I grasped hers, African-style, making sure to support your right arm with your left, and not being surprised when it swung from a standard shake to a combination of hand clasps. This wasn't your first go-round in Wakanda. “I'm _____.”

Naledi introduced us properly. “Shuri, this is Dr. _____ _____. She's an old friend of mine, visiting from Damage Control in America. _____, this is Shuri, crown princess of the Golden Tribe, and lead of the Design Group. She's been looking over James Barnes' stay here in Wakanda.”

Oh. The White Wolf comments started to make a bit more sense now. “It’s an honour to meet you.”

“Any friend of Naledi is a friend to me. I hope you are enjoying your time in Wakanda.”

“I am. I love it here. Any excuse to come visit,” you waved.

Naledi steered to conversation back to technical topics, and you were impressed at how quick to problem solve and how eager to help Shuri was. You were happy that Naledi had someone like that backing her. Although, you had thought Tony was bad for teasing his coworkers. Shuri was delightfully bratty in a way that only truly brilliant people could carry off.

After you wrapped up your business, Shuri took her leave, and Naledi lead you through the facility to her private office.

“Sorry, I should have warned you. Shuri likes getting a rise out of people. She doesn't have much of a filter.”

“No, it's fine. She reminds me a lot of Tony Stark back at Damage Control. It seems that we remediation ecologists are just cursed to be plagued with overly-enthusiastic, snippy engineers, the world over”

“Don't get me wrong,” she countered, “Shuri's an amazing help. Half the things we do for the country wouldn't even be possible without her amazing design work, not to mention her brother's steady financial support.”

“My sentiments exactly. Tony's got an engineer's mind and I appreciate it so much that he turns it to the tasks that I ask him to. Plus, the whole new facility thing was his idea, and wouldn't even be possible without him.”

“Yup. That’s definitely our dynamic to a tee. All I’ve got to do is get my own super-soldier love interest, and we’ll be a matching set.”

“Well,” you said, eyeing the doorway to the wider facility suggestively, “From what I’ve seen of Wakanda’s elite warriors, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice there.”

 “Ha,” she laughed in response, and after a brief interlude of what totally weren’t giggles, you basically gave up on any more scientific discourse for the day, and switched to personal topics, like wedding details, and your plans to meet up with Bucky later that evening. You were a little nervous to meet your fiancé’s best friend, but with all that Steve had told you, you felt like you half knew him already And from the way Shuri talked about him, he seemed like he was settling in and making friends again, after his time as the Winter Soldier.


End file.
